Fishman AFX Acoustic Delay

Reviewing so many drive and fuzz boxes means I’m usually playing through my electric guitar setup, but recently I’ve been gravitating toward my trusty Alvarez acoustic, and decided to create a little acoustic mini-board to enhance my playing a bit. The first pedal I decided I needed, as I always do, was a delay, and after some research via the Interwebs, I chose to check out the Fishman AFX Delay as my first acoustic pedal.

This sleek-looking and great-sounding silver fox has everything you need for a great delayed sound, plus some great other options as well. Level adds in or takes away the wet delay signal, allowing you to blend as much or as little into the mix as you want. Repeats control the number of echoes, from one to infinity and everywhere else, too – this knob can be really nutso when cranked, so be careful! The final main control knob is Delay Time, which lets you set how long the delay echo actually is after a note or chord is played. This knob interacts exclusively with the Mode selector, which is really where the fun of the AFX begins.

The Mode controls the subdivisions of delay length and, depending where you set it, the delays will be vastly different. Four separate time sections are present here, as well as 2 unique sides sporting different tonal qualities. The Classic side is a throwback delay, conjuring up tones from old, warm, classic tape echo delays, while the Modern side is a clean and crisp 32-bit digital delay. Each one of these sports Short (eighth notes; up to 300ms), Medium (dotted eighth notes; up to 1500ms), Long (quarter notes; up to 2900ms) and Pong (ping-pong effect, used for Stereo Output setups) sub-section presets as well, opening up the possibilities almost endlessly.

On top of all this, there’s a Boost switch (if needed), an external Tap Tempo input jack and a Delay Hold function, that serves as an on-the-fly looper when you need that extra bit of zing in your set. Overall, the AFX Delay has great sounds and great options, especially being able to run your acoustic rig in stereo. That just adds so much power and more layers to a potentially flat-sounding setup, and the ping pong delay sounds are some of my favorites. Hats off to Fishman for making a great delay specifically geared towards the lighter side of guitar playing, as this pedal proves they are all about research and development of their products. If you’re in the market for a delay pedal in an acoustic environment, look no further than the AFX Delay (if you can find one)!

Specs:
Delay stomp box for acoustic guitar
2 Effects with 4 Presets each: Short, Medium, Long, Ping Pong
Modern Delay: ultra-clean
Classic Delay: warm, analog echo
Tap feature with foot switch input sets eighth, dotted eighth, or quarter notes automatically
Delay Hold feature for short phrase-sampling
Level control
Repeats control
Delay Time control up to 2.9 seconds of delay time
All-analog, buffered bypass path with foot switch control
1/4 inch stereo ins and outs
Input Gain switch adds level boost while maintaining unity gain
Clip light also shows when the battery is low
24 bit A/D/A
32-bit processing
9-Volt battery or adaptor power
Durable all-metal construction